Monta Vista alum, at 4-foot-2, completes Boston Marathon

(photo courtesy Danh Trang/April, 2014)
Monta Vista High alum Danh Trang recently completed the Boston Marathon. Trang, now living in Manhattan, is one of the few runners with dwarfism to run this marathon.

It took double the steps typically necessary to finish the Boston Marathon, but every extra step helped former Cupertino resident Danh Trang raise nearly triple what he expected for a good cause.

Trang, a Monta Vista High School Class of 2005 graduate, completed his first Boston Marathon on April 21. The 4-foot, 2-inch athlete was inspired to run after being in attendance during last year's marathon that saw a festive day turn violent.

The fallout from the surreal and tragic day inspired Trang to run, no matter how long it took him to finish.

Trang was born with a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia. It is the most common type of dwarfism, occurring in one out of 25,000 childbirths, according to Trang. He was hoping to raise $5,000, but by press time he had brought in more than $14,000 for Little People of America Inc.

"This is my first fundraiser since maybe the third grade," he said, "and that was just mom and dad bringing candy bars to work. With this one, I was really unsure how much I was going to raise. It was an inspirational goal that kept me more motivated to work harder for Little People of America."

Little People of America is a nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality of life for individuals with dwarfism by bringing solutions and awareness to the issues of health, childhood development, education, discrimination and more, according to Trang.

"This is a charity that was near and dear to my heart," he said.

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At last year's Boston Marathon, Trang was around the 12- and 13-mile mark cheering on runners. He later boarded onto a commuter train heading toward the finish line when news about the bombings occurred. His train was headed toward South Station, New England's largest railroad station and bus terminal.

"With all the chaos and confusion, there were rumors as to where the other bombs might have been. We had no idea what the scope of this was," he said. "South Station is one of the most crowded transportation hubs in Boston, which was a bit worrying as well. If [bombers] wanted to do something, it could have been there."

The day and the ensuing media coverage stuck with Trang.

"For the next several weeks, with each passing day upon further reflection, it took on a different meaning. Sometimes when I think about that day, it seems pretty surreal," he said.

Trang had never run a marathon before, and he estimated that his shorter frame would require nearly twice as many steps as the average, taller marathon runners to complete the 26.2-mile course.

He began training almost immediately after last year's marathon and participated in the Ventura Marathon in September. He learned soon after that his time was good enough to qualify him for the Boston Marathon in the mobility impairment division.

To qualify in the division, he needed to complete the marathon in six hours. He finished the Ventura event with nearly 20 minutes to spare.

Trang's success was aided by the fact he has been an athlete almost his whole life. He grew up playing recreational tennis and had already run a couple of half marathons. He also plays lots of soccer and participates in the World Dwarf Games.

In addition, he travels occasionally with fellow Dwarf Games athletes to schools to take on teachers and faculty in games of basketball to broaden awareness about dwarfism and show students that challenges shouldn't hold them back.

"Just because you're smaller does not mean that with some hard work and perseverance you can't come out on top," he said. "It's all about perspective. There is no way to control how people challenge you; it's how you respond."

Trang graduated from Monta Vista High School in 2005 and chaired the Cupertino Teen Commission during that time. He now lives in Manhattan working in finance. The Hudson River and circuits around Central Park provided Trang with a nice backdrop to train for the marathon in chilly weather.

His preparation paid off as he completed a hot Boston Marathon with a time six minutes better than his Ventura marathon. Most of all, Trang was thrilled with the response he received for his fundraiser.

"The Boston Marathon was an incredible experience, especially as a way to give back to the city and say thank you," he said. "Meeting other runners was an incredible experience, and being able to broaden awareness was a very worthwhile experience. I am overwhelmed and super excited with the amount of support of friends, family and strangers."